Published 5:30 am, Friday, June 25, 2004

He's one of those players with a dazzling package of skills. That he's headed for a fourth straight season of at least 24 home runs, 100 RBIs and 31 stolen bases doesn't begin to tell you how good he is.

He'll hit third and make the hitters around him better. He'll win games with his defense in center. He'll make the corner outfielders better.

Sometimes, one player can change the entire fabric of a team. Not only does Beltran add production, but he elevates the attitude and confidence of those around him.

Instant improvement

Today, the Astros are better in ways that they can't even begin to know.

"He's one of the most exciting and complete players in the game," general manager Gerry Hunsicker said. "There's nothing he can't do. He's the type of player the Astros haven't had for a long time."

Beltran's arrival does not mean the Astros will win a division, but it means they've given themselves an opportunity.

How the trade eventually plays out might be less important than the fact the Astros made it, that they were relentless in pursuing it and that they understood that the time had come to tear up the original blueprint.

Yes, this one comes with huge risks.

Beltran won't re-sign with the Astros unless agent Scott Boras backs off his goal of a five-year, $75 million deal he's believed to be seeking.

If he's a four-month rental, the Astros paid a high price. Their bullpen is thinner with the departure of Octavio Dotel and their farm system lost one of its best prospects (catcher John Buck).

Credit management

Last week when they began to consider changes, they looked at a dozen options.

They could have taken the easy way out. They could have fired the manager and some coaches. They could have made a trade that impacted the bottom of the roster. They could have told you everything was going to be OK.

They might not have believed it, but teams have been doing stuff like this since Gehrig and Ruth were teammates.

Instead, they did something bold.

The risks make the trade even better. This is the kind of deal teams that win championships make.

Give Hunsicker credit for refusing to take no for an answer. Even when the trade stalled, even when it seemed on the brink of collapse, Hunsicker pushed ahead.

In the end, it was not going to get done unless the Astros came up with some cash.

from left to right. There may be some growing pains for both players, but both made the switch willingly.

"If he makes the club better, I'll do it,"' Biggio said. "That's all I care about."

A week ago, the Astros looked like a team without a pulse. They looked old and slow. They didn't have enough pitching.

Now, they've got an impact player in the middle of the other. They'll get Andy Pettitte back in the rotation Tuesday. They've got a closer with perhaps the best stuff in the game.

Hunsicker has one more move in mind. He'd like to add A's lefthander Arthur Rhodes to eat up some of those setup innings in front of new closer Brad Lidge.

And then that will be it.

The Astros haven't made this kind of blockbuster move since Hunsicker acquired Randy Johnson in 1998. That deal didn't get the Astros out of the first round, and in recent years, Hunsicker had grown increasingly reluctant to part with prospects that might not have made a dramatic difference.